Colleges with excellent religious department

<p>Hi, I am planning to study and major religion as an undergraduate. Which schools are most respected for their religion programs? Is it necessarily true that schools with excellent Divinity programs are also great for undergradutate religion? btw, I'm not looking at religious schools but secular ones. thanks a lot.</p>

<p>I believe Indiana University-Bloomington and University of Virginia have two of the top Religious Studies programs in the nation.</p>

<p>Ok, I did some digging around, and Indiana and UVA definitely have good Religious Studies programs, arguably the top 2 in the country. Others that have good Religious studies programs include:</p>

<p>Brown University
Dartmouth College
Duke University
Harvard University
Northwestern University
Oberlin College
Princeton University
Syracuse University
University of Colorado-Boulder
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
University of Pennsylvania
Vanderbilt University
Yale University</p>

<p>Davidson has a good religion department and sends a fair number of gradutes to divinity school. It is a secular school with religious affiliation, perhaps the best of both worlds for someone with your academic interests if you are looking for a liberal arts college rather than a university.</p>

<p>additional possibilities:
Southern Methodist
UC Santa Barbara
U Iowa
Arizona State
Stanford
Temple</p>

<p>based on Gourman Report</p>

<p>the following additional based on Rugg's
Bates
U Chicago
Colgate
Columbia
Emory
Furman
Georgetown
Hamilton
Haverford
Kenyon
Lawrence
Notre Dame
Oberlin
Occidental
Pomona
U of the South
Southwestern
Trinity (CT)
Wake Forest
Wesleyan
Wellesley
Wheaton
William and Mary
Yale
Barnard</p>

<p>some of the above have religious affiliation but they are not Divinity Schools</p>

<p>connecticut college- phenomenal religious studies professors.</p>

<p>dUKE-affiliated with Methodists, Notre Dame and Holy Cross-2 of the best Catholic schools.</p>

<p>UVA, hands down. u want religious study? go to uva.......</p>

<p>duke is really good. top divinity school too, you can take some classes there if you pursue study in religion.</p>

<p>thanks all of you guys</p>

<p>Kim, what area of religious studies are you interested in?</p>

<p>Boston College has strong programs in Theology, Comparative Theology, Islamic Studies and Jewish Studies in addition to Church History, Catholic Theology and American Protestantism.</p>

<p>It's also in the process of merging with the Weston Jesuit School of Theology which should further bolster its Jesuit faculty, already one of the most respected in the world.</p>

<p>Depend on what type of religion I would think.</p>

<p>Princeton has the best theology school in the nation.</p>

<p>I would also recommend Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI if you like</p>

<p>a small college in a pretty big city.</p>

<p>Badkarma, the OP does not want a freligiously affiliated school. Calvin is very religiously affiliated.</p>